Transforming Psychological Practice with Precision Mental Health: Introduction to the NOVA Project

Pablo Roca^1,2*Sara Noheda¹Eduar Ramírez-Riveros^1,3Carolina M. Azañedo^1,3Fermín Martínez-Zaragoza⁴Rosaria Maria Zangri^2,5Eduardo Pantaleon Garcia del Valle^2,6Martin Sanchez-Pedreño^1,2Montserrat León-García⁷Derek Loy Gravholt⁷Angel Enrique Roig⁸Rob Saunders⁹Luis Javier Herrera¹⁰María del Carmen Pegalajar Jiménez¹⁰Carmelo Vazquez¹¹Sara Rodriguez-Moreno^1,12

• ¹Universidad Villanueva, Madrid, Spain
• ²Medea Lab, Madrid, Spain
• ³Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
• ⁴Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche, Elche, Spain
• ⁵unie Universidad, Madrid, Spain
• ⁶IE University, Madrid, Spain
• ⁷Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, United States
• ⁸Amwell Science, Amwell, Boston, United States
• ⁹University College London, London, United Kingdom
• ¹⁰Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
• ¹¹Universidad Complutense de Madrid Facultad de Psicologia, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
• ¹²Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) has increased the availability of psychological treatments, yet many people do not benefit from therapy, some report deteriorations in symptoms, and dropout rates remain high. Precision Mental Health (PMH) is proposed as an extension of EBP by combining systematic measurement with predictive analytics to support the right intervention, at the right time, for the right person. Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) make PMH increasingly feasible in routine psychotherapy; however, the implementation of these approaches in routine care is still incipient. In this context, the present article has two main aims. First, we summarize key advances in PMH, particularly measurement-based care and data-informed decision making. Second, we introduce the NOVA project (Navigating Outcomes via Analytics), a multi-phase translational program designed to implement PMH in real-world psychological services. Guided by the Implementing Precision Methods framework, NOVA integrates (i) stakeholder-informed work on clinician acceptability and intention to use, (ii) pragmatic evaluation of decision support tools in routine care, (iii) development of robust and interpretable predictive models, and (iv) training and dissemination activities aligned with responsible innovation and professional competencies for AI-supported precision care. By detailing NOVA's implementation pathway, we aim to provide a concrete roadmap for bridging AI innovation and psychological practice, accelerating the sustainable adoption of PMH in real-world settings. Keywords: precision mental health; measurement-based care; data-informed decision making; artificial intelligence, clinical decision support systems; implementation science.